speech at the launch of the School Sport Programme and Hand-Over Ceremony at
Sinethemba Secondary School
25 January 2006
Thank you very much Programme Director for this opportunity.
Honourable Dugmore, MEC for Education
Leaders representing sport councils and federations
Civic leaders, councillors, school governing body members
Educators, parents and learners
Ladies and gentlemen
It is an absolute pleasure to stand before you and share some of our dreams
of making a better life for all learners, giving practical effect to the ideals
enshrined in the People's Charter, that doors of learning and culture shall be
open to all.
We are gathered today in that spirit, to put building blocks for a better
sporting future of our children. We have come to realise that our strategic
goals of focusing on developing sport to desired competitive levels would be
severely thwarted if not accompanied by comprehensive facilities provisioning
plan.
In pursuit of these objectives, the Department with limited resources at its
disposal committed to upgrading facilities to at least seven schools per
year.
I am happy to announce that so far we have been consistent in delivering on
that promise. Upgrading of other facilities will get underway before the end of
February at the following schools, HN Dlikidla Primary in Beaufort West,
Vuselela Primary in Khayelitsha, Vukukhanye Primary in Gugulethu and Manenberg
High. Ihlumelo and Groenewald schools in Paarl, as well as Hazeldene Primary in
Mitchell's Plain will become proud recipients of new sport facilities by end
March 2006.
Sinethemba Secondary is one of many that have potential to unleash sporting
excellence and talent but it could not, due to lack of facilities.
From today onwards, pupils at this school as well as members of the
community have access to brand new facilities. This delivery begins to level
the playing field and further enhance opportunities of the marginalized sector
of society disadvantaged schools.
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to convey my heartfelt appreciation to MEC
Cameron Dugmore for the commitment he shared with me recently, that his
Department will ensure that new schools still to be built will be provided
sporting facilities as a standard. This commitment will go a long way to
alleviate the critical shortage of facilities.
Those who were present at the last Sport Indaba held at Saldanha in November
last year will recall the passionate plea I made for the return of Wednesday
sport programme to revive ailing school sport.
I stand here happy ladies and gentlemen, that today we are well poised to
deliver on that promise. Clusters have already been established and their needs
received. This school will become part of the Gugulethu, Nyanga, and Philippi
Cluster.
The cluster programmes must be brought in line with mainstream sport and in
this regard we are working with the clusters to build the necessary capacity to
ensure quality sport is played within the clusters. Training programmes for
various codes of sport will be conducted in line with their needs as expressed
by the clusters. Basic sports equipment will soon arrive to further capacitate
the clusters.
The Wednesday School Sport programme will focus in the main on the
following:
* 1st Quarter: Athletics and swimming
* 2nd Quarter: Rugby, netball, football, hockey, volleyball, boxing and
Indigenous Games
* 3rd Quarter: Table tennis, football, cross country, tennis, drum majorettes,
netball, indigenous games and cricket
* 4th Quarter: Gymnastics, cricket, korfball, swimming, dance sport
In consultation with NACOC, which is the national school sport co-ordinating
structure, we will soon be establishing a provincial schools co-ordinating
structure (PROCOC) to ensure the smooth running and organisation of school
sport.
]
Finally let me congratulate the two youngsters from this school, Zindiswa
Nqothani and Khanyiso Matomane, for being drafted into Kaizer Chiefs Academy
following their impressive showing at recent Soccer Kings beamed into our homes
late last year.
Sinethemba Secondary has done admirably despite the lack of facilities.
Their achievements in Coca Cola Cup speak volumes and were the key ingredient
that prompted the department to earmark this school as beneficiary.
Enquiries:
Mandla Yeki
Tel: (021) 483 9804
Fax: (021) 483 9801
Cell: 082 553 3477
Issued by: Department of Cultural Affairs, Sports and Recreation, Western
Cape Provincial Government
25 January 2006
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government (http://www.capegateway.gov.za/)
